Last year, you considered going to a few HR and employee benefits conferences. Your schedule got booked up, work became overwhelming, it felt too costly. And open enrollment strategy has been so top-of-mind that you’re looking to just take a break.
But, plot twist: You ended up costing yourself more by not attending.
Here’s the thing. Conference success isn’t measured by the swag stuffed into your suitcase or the stack of business cards in your pocket. It’s measured in money saved after you return to your regular day-to-day. And if you plan it right, every conference should save you at least 10 times what it costs to attend, if not more.
It’s the industry insights that steer you away from disaster. The connections that help you find the next trend to watch for. The new benefits software you hadn’t heard of before, but has become precisely what your team needed to save countless hours and money.
What you’ll spend:
What you’ll save by attending strategically:
Your final ROI? The time and money saved from learning and networking.
In a time of rising healthcare costs, tightening labor markets, and evolving employee expectations, HR and benefits leaders can’t afford to operate on outdated strategies. Attending the right events in 2026 means smarter, faster, and more effective ways to deliver value to your workforce.
When: June 2026
Where: Orlando, FL
Why go: The largest HR conference in the U.S., SHRM brings together 20,000+ professionals across HR, benefits, legal, and DEI functions. If you want to hear from senior policymakers, authors, and HR innovators, this is the place.
Pro tip: Book accommodations early! Hotel blocks go fast.
Look for Healthee at SHRM 2026!
When: October 2026
Where: Las Vegas, NV
Why go: Focused entirely on digital HR solutions, from AI in benefits navigation to payroll automation. If you’re evaluating ben admin platforms or HRIS upgrades, this is your software sandbox.
When: September 2026
Where: Marco Island, FL
Why go: The go-to conference for PEO executives, this event offers in-depth sessions on compliance, cost containment, and client service innovation. You can find and connect with PEO leaders here who are looking to modernize their benefits stack and solve pressing PEO problems.
Look for Healthee at NAPEO 2026!
Healthee at NAPEO 2025
When: Spring/Fall 2026
Where: Invite-only locations
Why go: Curated 1:1 meetings with benefits and HR tech providers for enterprise HR leaders. If you’re a CHRO looking to strategize at a high level, this one’s worth applying for.
Look for Healthee at Marcus Evans events in 2026!
When: NYC and San Diego
Where: NYC Mar 16-18 | San Diego April 15-17
Why go: Designed for Fortune 500 HR and finance leaders, these workshops dive into health plan design, care navigation, and analytics.
Look for Healthee in NYC (we’re sponsoring) and San Diego!
When: Throughout 2026
Where: Invite-only locations
Why go: The Employer Benefits Accelerator (EBA) is a highly selective program under the World 50 umbrella that brings together a curated group of employers, benefits decision-makers, and emerging healthcare innovators. In fact, Healthee was one of just a handful of companies selected to present in the Fall 2025 cycle. To be chosen was already a win. To earn the most employer matches and walk away with the Traction Award is an even stronger validation of what we’re building.
Look for Healthee at future World 50 events!
When: November 2026
Where: New York, NY
Why go: Built for senior HR executives, this summit offers closed-door sessions on benefits, talent strategy, and leadership. Expect fewer vendors, more peers.
Look for Healthee at the 2026 CHRO Summit!
When: Feb 23–25, 2026
Where: Las Vegas, NV
Why go: Focused on self-funded plans, cost control, and third-party administration. You will often meet brokers and TPAs here exploring AI-driven benefits solutions.
Look for Healthee at the 2026 HCAA Executive Forum!
When: July 27-29, 2026
Where: Nashville, TN
Why go: A second must-attend from HCAA, this event specifically addresses the operational and innovation needs of America’s TPAs.
Look for Healthee at the 2026 HCAA TPA Summit!
When: March 2026
Where: TBA
Why go: Mental health continues to be a major cost and care driver. This event bridges clinical insights with HR strategy, making it the perfect fit if mental health is part of your benefits roadmap.
Look for Healthee at the 2026 ACP Annual Meeting!
When: June 2026
Where: TBA
Why go: Tailored to the PEO and HCM ecosystem, PrismHR LIVE is ideal for operations, IT, and benefits leaders looking to integrate smarter tools.
Look for Healthee at PrismHR LIVE 2026!
When: August 2026
Where: East Coast location
Why go: Wellness meets strategy at this forum. Think fewer vendors and more hands-on roundtables with senior HR decision-makers.
Look for Healthee at the 2026 Opal Group Forum!
When: October 2026
Where: San Francisco, CA
Why go: Workday clients and partners come together to explore platform updates, people analytics, and benefit plan integrations. Not just for techies—this event’s great for strategic thinkers.
Look for Healthee at the Workday Rising 2026!
When: May 6-8, 2026
Where: Dallas, TX
Why go: Legal, compliance, and fiduciary content are front and center. Excellent event for ERISA-focused roles or fiduciaries looking to stay current.
Look for Healthee at the 2026 SWBA Annual Conference!
This first step is key: You need to see if the conference content hits your major goals for the coming year. Consider these core points:
Then, let’s get to the next phase: Logistics.
The whole process of choosing a conference is honestly a balancing act. The perfect choice is one that has killer strategic content and is logistically feasible. Focusing on both sides is how you maximize professional growth and deliver a great ROI for everyone.
Now, you’ve chosen a conference or five. It’s time to plan your on-the-ground activities, including how you’ll navigate the expo hall. Most attendees ask vendors who are tabling at conferences milqetoast questions that are the equivalent of “So, what brings you here?”
Instead, you should be asking the tough, hands-on questions that separate real solutions from expensive experiments. Here are the questions that actually get you the answers you deserve:
The Implementation Reality Check: “Tell me about two very different clients and how you managed to implement different but equally complex clients?”
The AI BS Detector: “When you say ‘AI-powered,’ do you mean actual machine learning or just an IF/THEN statement coordinator with a fun, flashy name?”
The Roadmap Assessment: “What are the most innovative AI-focused features coming on your roadmap?” (If they can’t tell you how you’re implementing the most cutting-edge technologies like AI, they’re not worth your time.)
The Security Challenge: “How does this health-/ben-tech solution protect my people’s PHI?”
If a vendor starts sweating when you ask these questions, just … take their swag pen and run a thousand miles in the other direction.
Most of us return from conferences with business cards and good intentions. Buuuut … six months later, nothing’s changed. To help you get ahead of the busyness block, here’s your post-conference action plan:
Hours 1–24: Brain dump everything. Literally everything. Every insight, every vendor, every overheard conversation about what’s actually working. Already took notes? Then go back through and actually read, categorize, and highlight the most important and practical things you can take to the team this week.
Hour 24–48: Send “Hey, we just met” messages to your brand new connections on LinkedIn. Then, schedule demos with your top 3 vendor picks.
Hour 48–72: Create a “Cost of Inaction” slide. You need one slide showing what happens if you forget everything you wanted to implement and change nothing. There’s nothing like a little accountability to deliver that conference ROI.
The best learning at conferences doesn’t happen in sessions or booths. It happens at the hotel bar at 9 pm when your new connection is on their second drink and admits that their million-dollar benefits investment isn’t working and they still haven’t found the right vendor to manage spend. It happens at the vendor-hosted dinner, where you can get deep into the RFP-style discussion with potential solutions.
That’s where you learn which vendors are worth their salt and which are “industry-leading solutions” in name only.
So yes, go to the sessions. Visit the booths. Collect the swag. Connect with peers. But save energy for the conference within the conference: The one that starts when the expo hall closes for the day.
Stop attending conferences like a tourist. Start attending like a detective. Ask uncomfortable questions. Take detailed notes. Make decisive moves. Your employees (and CFO) will thank you.
Can’t wait for a conference to modernize your benefits experience?
Yes. Most are already confirmed for 2025 with similar value propositions. Book early, though. Registration prices can jump 40% closer to dates, and hotel blocks fill fast. Use the rest of 2025 to build relationships that pay off when making big decisions in 2026.
The IFEBP's 72nd Annual Conference will be in New Orleans (October 2026), drawing 5,000+ attendees for technical education and CE credits.
Absolutely. Use 2025 conferences to make your mistakes — talk to wrong vendors, miss key sessions, forget follow-ups. The relationships you build casually in 2025 become your trusted advisors in 2026. Start with one regional and one national conference to test your approach.
Virtual sessions work for education but fail for vendor evaluation. You can't assess a million-dollar platform through a Zoom demo. The real value — hallway conversations, informal dinners, honest vendor feedback — only happens in person.
HCAA forums (February and July) focus specifically on self-funded plans and cost control. The Conference Board sessions (March/April) bring CFOs and benefits leaders together for ROI-focused discussions. For broader cost strategies, SHRM and HR Tech showcase technologies that reduce administrative costs.
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